Daily Archives: January 11, 2013

A new semester. A new chance to get a great report card. If your grades aren’t where you’d like them to be, here are some tips to get better ones. Get it girls!

Get a ‘To Do’ Notebook. Every day, make a detailed ‘To Do’ List to help keep yourself focused

Get with your teachers. Okay, so I was one of those students who hated to do this. But, it does help your grades when your teachers know you’re interested. (It doesn’t hurt) So ask questions, be kind to them. See how your grades improve. Power tip: Asking the right kind of questions was one of my secret weapons in high school. The class before a test (while your class is reviewing) ask a question like: ‘So what should we be focusing on for this test? Or something like that. Basically you’re asking a leading question to get info about what will be on the exam. Then write the teachers’ response down and take it seriously. This is your ticket to a better grade.

Get organized. This was always a sore point with me. And, I admit that I got pretty good grades while being pretty un-organized. But, I found that it’s a lot less stressful to be organized. So clean out your notebooks and folders and discover an organizing system that works for you.

Get a schedule. This sounds boring, but its somewhat comforting to go to the same place at the same time every day to study. It’s a lot less stressful and it will get things done.

Get a positive mindset: ‘If you believe it, you can achieve it’. Okay, so we’ve all heard that before. But trust me on this one. You will usually receive what you think you will receive. So always, always shoot for an A in every class, no matter how hard the class may be. Believe that you can and you will get an A. Think about it. If you’re doing this and you ‘fail’ you might receive a what…B? (Terrible, isn’t it (sarcasm) So shoot for the A…every time.

Get motivated: I admit I have had those days where it took a miracle to get me to study. So on those days I had some secret weapons. The first was simply music. Listening to music while studying motivated me to actually study. (I don’t do this on a regular basis, only on those days when I really need motivation.) Another trick that has worked has been the study 30 (or even as little as 10 for you who know your attention will only last for 10 minutes) and then take a 10 minute break. Or take a break when you finish each subject (or project) you’re studying.

Get Nutrition. Zinc is a vitamin that can make you feel calmer and more focused and can also help prevent colds! So take a multivitamin (ask a doctor or parent before doing so) that includes zinc. Also make sure you have plenty of water and/or tea while studying. Water helps keep you awake while studying and you need lots of water anyway, so by drinking it while studying, you are killing two birds with one stone.